Reteaching Life
by InnocentDiamond
Summary: After his mother's death and father's disappearance, Shun is sent to a mountainside village to live since his grandfather doesn't want him. Unable to find any meaning in life, he gets lessons from an instructor who just might be able to bring hope into his life again.


**Me: Just finished Don't Be Long, and I already published my fifteenth story! And today was my first day of school. Can't make any judgements about anything yet.  
**

**Alice: ****But don't get too excited.**

**Shun: Isn't saying that redundant?**

**Marucho: *gasps* That's a first...**

**Dan: ...hearing something that mean from Shun.**

**Shun: And what you trying to say?**

**Alice: Will you just calm down?!**

**Me: *pushes S&A away* Sorry... This is my first time doing an angst story, and I _really_ wanted to incorporate very, very serious feelings in this one. Don't expect this to be very sweet, though.**

**Dan: At least no one's going to curse despite how angry and mean they are.**

**Marucho: And Shun looks hella mean.**

**Shun: What did you-**

**Me: *knocks him out* This story is based on Dai Sijie's Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, which should give you a hint on the seriousness. I need to watch the film sometime soon. The source of Shun's... uh... "meanness" will be revealed shortly.  
**

**Alice: She doesn't own anything. Enough said.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: First Impressions  
**

**xXx**

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"Yeah, I'm fine...No, they haven't come back yet."

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"Well, I haven't seem them since this morning! They gave _me_ an urgent call, so _I_ came down here...I don't know! Some nurse said she relapsed."

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"Yeah, and not only that, she's still in critical condition. She can barely hear us no matter how loud we talk...What?! Are you serious?"

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"I'm sorry, but I really don't want to talk about this right now. Even so, I still have-"

_Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!_

"Great. Thanks a lot for the call. I _really_ appreciate it. Why don't _you _come down here for once? I'm sure she'd like to see you for at least _once_ before she ends up in a coma." The boy fixed his jet-black hair and put his phone away as a group of doctors rushed inside the patient room.

"Not good," said a nurse. "BP's plummeting!"

A doctor put on his stethoscope and placed the diaphragm on the woman's chest. "I feel no pulse. I think she's in a cardiac arrest."

"She's not breathing either!"

"Somebody get me the defibrillators! Start EKG tracing!"

"Heart rate's at 250! No, at 300!"

Overwhelmed by the yelling and number of staff in the room, the boy ran out into the hallway to rest and calm down, only to bump into another doctor. "Shun, are you alright? You seem frightened."

"Dr. Suhara! The staff said that my mother went into a cardiac arrest, and I'm really worried that she might-"

"Shun, calm down." The doctor put his hand on Shun's shoulder. "We know what your mother has, but we diagnosed her too late. We'll try to use treatment to hold it off for now, but I don't guarantee a happy ending."

"So she's-"

"Not now, Shun. I suggest you call your father and grandfather over just in case."

_But I just __**called**__ my __**freaking **__father, and he's not going to do anything!_ Shun pounded his fist onto the wall as Dr. Suhara entered the patient room. Later, the doors propped open, and the staff transported Shiori's bed down the hall to the operating room. _The OR? Mom's condition wasn't this bad last week. _

After many hours, Shun's father and grandfather came by. Shun, who had been waiting since a long time ago, didn't even bother looking at them.

"Shun, how's your mother doing?" his father asked. Shun didn't respond and continued to stare at the light above the OR. "Shun, how is she?"

"Shun! Your father is speaking to you! Answer him!" his grandfather added.

Shun turned around only slightly and glared at them. "_If_ you had been in her room with me, Dad, she might be a lot better by now. Maybe this _is_ the last time she'll you two again."

"But Shun, I-"

"How dare you say that?!" Shun's grandfather slapped his grandson in the cheek, and Shun held his hand over his face to relieve the pain. "Your father is very busy and can't always visit your mother. You should understand that."

"Well, I don't understand how spending time with other women leisurely while his legal spouse is in critical condition all the time is considered busy."

"I'm sorry, Shun, but they're my business clients. I-"

The OR light switched off, and Dr. Suhara emerged from the double doors. "I see that all of the Kazami family is here." he said with a neutral tone.

"Doctor, how's my wife doing?"

"What's my daughter-in-law's condition?"

Shun was too upset to ask anything, but it was implied in his facial expression.

"Shiori-san...didn't make it. The moment when we predicted she was supposed to enter a coma was the moment her heart stopped. I'm sorry."

Shun's father and grandfather stared at each other in shock, and Shun mumbled, "I told you so."

Later on, Shun was aware that his father was definitely going to spend less and less time away from the "family" now that his mother was gone. He was also aware that with both his mother gone and father sort of gone, his grandfather would make plans of what do to with Shun in the future. But neither one came the way he expected, especially what his grandfather planned to do with him.

"I'm sending you back to Kochouha Town to your relatives' place."

Shun stared at his grandfather, unconvinced. "Are you serious? You're telling me this now? What happened to Dad?"

"Your father hasn't come back for a week already and most likely won't. I certainly don't want you here because you're wasting the rest of my short life." He grabbed a suitcase and handed it to Shun. "Start packing. You're leaving in one hour."

Shun sighed as he took the suitcase upstairs to his room. Taking whatever necessary, he thought, _Dad must be waiting for this moment to come for ages. Considering that he chose to leave only when Mom passed away, I guess he really does feels guilty._

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Alice, I'm back!"

A redhead stood up from stoking the fire of the stove to face the girl at the door. "Bring it in, Runo. The fire's starting to die out."

"Aren't you glad that I came back in time? After that slight rain yesterday, the firewood was easier to chop, but might be too moist to burn." Runo ran over and squat down next to Alice. "Did you hear about a guest we're having over?"

"No problem. And what guest?"

"Actually, he's not a guest. He'll be staying here for a long time. That's all I know. I also heard that he's coming from the main city, so he might be a little cocky."

Alice continued to stoke the fire. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Two reasons. One, the village headman assigned you to be in charge of him. You're the only one here who's not as busy as everyone else. Two, you're kind of lonely yourself here. Having him under your study could make you feel better."

Alice stood up to wipe her dirty hands. "Do I look like a lonely person? What am I supposed to do with him? And what's 'under my study' supposed to mean?"

"Of course you're lonely! Aside from us, no one really visits you much, other than your grandfather. All you have to do is to teach him to be productive here. That shouldn't be too difficult, is it?" Runo elbowed Alice with a suspicious gleam in her eyes.

"If the village headman instigated this, then I can't say no. What's his name?"

"Shun Kazami. He should be here soon. You should go meet him down by the resting gazebo down the lake trail. I'll tend the fire for you."

"Um, thank you? Whatever." Alice handed the fire poker to Runo and grabbed her coat. She laid her fingers on the face of a portrait hanging on the wall. _Oh, Grandfather. Could this be the special omen you've been talking about? I wish it was, yet I wish it wasn't._ Alice buttoned up her coat and went outside.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Half and hour later, Shun walked up the trail to the gazebo and took a break. His legs were sore from walking uphill on a slippery and potentially fatal trail. _Why doesn't anyone ever pave these roads? Doesn't anyone know that this is a hazard?_ He took out a bottle of water and drank as much as he could but choked halfway. "Seriously! Why do all the bad things happen to me? Do I really carry that much bad luck on me?"

Shun shook his head and continued walking. He thought back of what his father and grandfather would be doing right now. Apparently, only his mother truly cared for Shun. His father was just another source of income that needed food and a place to sleep every day and night, and his grandfather was only there to give Shun ninjutsu lessons. Not one of them except for Shiori even took care of Shun for at least a year's time.

_Who needs them when I only need myself? And to think that Moms death would change them some how, but no. __**Both**__ of them wished she was dead so they can live their own lives. Now __**I**__ have to live my own, and when I grow up, I'm __**never**__ going back to them or accept them when they beg me for help. _Shun was busy yelling in his mind that he didn't notice a pothole in the grown. "Ah!"

"Watch out."

Preventing him from falling into a puddle were two hands that propped his shoulders. Shun got up with some help and looked at the person who saved him. It was a redhead girl wearing a furry brown trench coat. "You must be Shun, right?"

"Yeah, that's me, but how-"

"There's no time to waste. I was told that you'd be coming and that I'd be in charge of you and rest, so I personally came down."

_Even the my other relatives here have this all rigged up. Why can't I have any freedom here either?_ Shun brushed her hands off and scoffed. "No thanks, but-"

"Let me take that. You must've had a tiring walk."

Alice reached for Shun's suitcase and grabbed it, much to Shun's surprise. He didn't know where she was doing this out of politeness or respect for him and his situation, but a simple thanks wouldn't hurt. "Thanks..."

"No problem. Come on. We should get going."

_Maybe I still have some hope left._ Knowing nowhere else to go, Shun followed Alice uphill to the place were he was going to stay in.

* * *

**Me: Technically, you "can't" just disown children like that, but Shun's old enough and-**

**Shun: Does it look like I'm not old enough?!**

**Alice: For the second time, can you just-**

**Me: *interrupting* Shun's been through a trine of painful event, and Alice has her own painful past as well, but that'll come another day and is different than Shun's story.  
**

**S&A: *continue arguing in the background***

**Dan: You sure they're not acting?**

**Me: They have no reason to.**

**S&A: Who are you calling acting?!**

**Dan: Review before they violence into the situation!**

**Me: Review, yes, but Shun knows better than to hit a girl.**

**Marucho: More like Alice is about to hit him.**

**Me: Oh... I hadn't thought of that. Do what Dan said while I try to do something about this.**


End file.
